Last year, the Government announced a review into the business rates system after widespread calls for an overhaul of commercial property tax. This week, the long awaited review has finally been launched and the results are expected to be announced in time... Read More
Business rates are currently subject to widespread calls for reform, as highlighted by the recent open letter to the Chancellor from Hammerson boss David Atkins, which describes the system as anachronistic, opaque and no longer fit for purpose. In... Read More
The chief executive of Britain’s third largest listed property company has written an open letter to the Chancellor claiming the current business rates system is no longer fit for purpose. David Atkins, chief executive of development and investment... Read More
The Home Office is paying more than £12.5m a year in business rates on its London headquarters, according to Valuation Office Agency (VOA) figures. The Ministry of Defence also earns a place in the capital's top ten rate payers. The remaining eight... Read More
The Autumn Statement has been largely welcomed by retail bodies, with the much awaited review of business rates the icing on the cake of a programme of funding initiatives for small businesses. However, this week “high street guru” Mary Portas has hit out... Read More
Although the Chancellor has promised a review of the business rates system in the UK, towns remain concerned at the level of empty stores on their high streets in the meantime. However, Rochdale in the North West has made the decision to take matters into its... Read More
As widely anticipated the Chancellor used his Autumn Statement to confirm a review of business rates administration, following repeated calls from business and property groups to take action. The British Property Federation (BPF) recently published a... Read More
It appears that this year’s statement will see the prayers of small businesses answered as the Chancellor intends to deliver a package of funding plans designed to aid SMEs. George Osborne is expected to announce the extension of a number of policies... Read More
Fears that reforms to the business rates appeal procedure would only generate more bureaucratic red tape have been eased by an apparent Government U-turn. In an open letter, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has now... Read More
Property owners are legally responsible for business rates owed by a tenant who has ceased trading, the High Court has ruled. The precedent came with the court's rejection of an appeal by Schroders Exempt Property Unit Trust (SEPUT) that it could not be... Read More
